Which car would be less expensive to own and maintain? (short term, long term) - Toyota Yaris Forums

chillfan · 09-09-2019, 04:05 AM

Hi all, I figured this would be the right place to get some advice. I’ve always been a fan of the Echo/Yaris (and the Corolla), but I’ve never gotten the chance to own one, since my ’06 Nissan Sentra has miraculously went over 12 years without any major problems…until the past couple of months. It’s developed a leak, along with some other issues which have piled up over time, which might cost in the ballpark of a couple thousand to fix. So I decided to just trade it in or sell it off and get another car.

My first option is a 2010 Toyota Yaris from a used car dealership, 114,000 miles. 2 door, automatic transmission. No accidents or damage reported, regular maintenance done. Asking price $4,300, plus taxes and fees, of course. I have some some cash saved up, so the monthly payments on a car loan would be $50 to $100 a month, depending on the term of the loan, my down payment, etc.

My other option is my mom’s 2015 Honda Civic LX with 50,000 miles on it. She bought it sometime last year, and she’s never particularly liked the car (too big, she says), but she’s gotten used to driving it by now. I would take over the payments, either unofficially or thru getting a new loan in my name. There’s $9,500 left on the car loan, and it’s $230 a month, but if I decide to get a new loan it would be $170 to $200 a month.

I wouldn’t drive the car too far, let’s say 5,000-7,000 miles a year at the high end.

My question is this: over the short term (the next 1 or 2 years), which car would be the most inexpensive to own? Namely, do you think the Yaris would cost more to maintain than the difference in monthly payments on the Civic (maybe $1,200 to $2,000)? I’m in school now and working part time so I can barely afford car payments, but I assume that I’ll work full time once I graduate (depending on how the economy looks by then…).

I’m also curious about the cost over the long term if I decide to keep either car after I graduate, but short term costs are my main concern.

Thanks for any help you can give!

09-09-2019, 04:05 AM	#1
chillfan I've made a post! Drives: 2006 Nissan Sentra Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: USA Posts: 1	Which car would be less expensive to own and maintain? (short term, long term) Hi all, I figured this would be the right place to get some advice. I’ve always been a fan of the Echo/Yaris (and the Corolla), but I’ve never gotten the chance to own one, since my ’06 Nissan Sentra has miraculously went over 12 years without any major problems…until the past couple of months. It’s developed a leak, along with some other issues which have piled up over time, which might cost in the ballpark of a couple thousand to fix. So I decided to just trade it in or sell it off and get another car. My first option is a 2010 Toyota Yaris from a used car dealership, 114,000 miles. 2 door, automatic transmission. No accidents or damage reported, regular maintenance done. Asking price $4,300, plus taxes and fees, of course. I have some some cash saved up, so the monthly payments on a car loan would be $50 to $100 a month, depending on the term of the loan, my down payment, etc. My other option is my mom’s 2015 Honda Civic LX with 50,000 miles on it. She bought it sometime last year, and she’s never particularly liked the car (too big, she says), but she’s gotten used to driving it by now. I would take over the payments, either unofficially or thru getting a new loan in my name. There’s $9,500 left on the car loan, and it’s $230 a month, but if I decide to get a new loan it would be $170 to $200 a month. I wouldn’t drive the car too far, let’s say 5,000-7,000 miles a year at the high end. My question is this: over the short term (the next 1 or 2 years), which car would be the most inexpensive to own? Namely, do you think the Yaris would cost more to maintain than the difference in monthly payments on the Civic (maybe $1,200 to $2,000)? I’m in school now and working part time so I can barely afford car payments, but I assume that I’ll work full time once I graduate (depending on how the economy looks by then…). I’m also curious about the cost over the long term if I decide to keep either car after I graduate, but short term costs are my main concern. Thanks for any help you can give!